Saville Row.
[ MOVABLE METAL TYPES ANNO 1435.]
A vellum MS. has lately come into my possession, containing the Service for the Dead, Prayers, &c., with the tones for chanting, &c., in Latin, written for a German Order, apparently about the year 1430.
This tome, which is in small 4to., is very remarkable and valuable on account of the binding. This is red leather, stamped with double lines forming lozenges, and powdered with additional stamps, Or, a lion, a fleur-de-lys, an eagle, and a star. The whole is on the plain leather, without any gilding.
But in addition hereto, a full inscription runs along each back, at top and bottom and each side, stamped with movable metal types applied by hand, without gold, as is done by the bookbinder to this day in blind stamping.
The legend on the first back is as follows:
- At top.—"DIEZ . PUCHLEI
- Continued to the right.—IST . S. . MARGRETEN .
- At the bottom.—SCHUEST . ABT . ZU .
- Continued to the left.—S. . KATHEREI . ZU . MUR ."
That is,—
"Diez puchlein ist schwester Margreten, sehuest abtisse zu Sankt Katherein zu Mur."